Content provider websites (CPWs) are interactive websites that allow for the downloading and/or uploading (e.g., posting) of various forms of information or data (which can generally be considered “content”) to or from user-operated electronic devices such as mobile devices by way of various communication media including, for example, internet-type networks. CPWs encompass a variety of types of websites including, for example, social networking websites (SNWs), news feeds, music and photograph websites, as well as other types of websites such as business-to-business (b2b) or business-to-consumer (b2c) websites. The forms of content that can be downloaded from and/or uploaded to CPWs are wide ranging and can include, for example, news, weather, personal and/or business information, pictures, videos, songs, etc. CPWs can also encompass any website that can potentially receive communication(s) from one or more persons or entities and in turn forward on to other person or entities related communications (including, for example, email messages).
As the popularity of CPWs and particularly SNWs has grown, the amount of information provided to and from those CPWs (and especially SNWs) has grown enormously. Further, it has become common in the context of many CPWs, and particularly in the context of many SNWs, for messages or other communications to be sent between different users (or, more particularly, between the electronic devices being operated by or otherwise associated with different users) by way of the SNWs In some circumstances, a message sent by a given user (e.g., from the electronic device of that user) is intended to be sent to multiple other users (e.g., intended to be delivered to the electronic devices of multiple users), and a CPW such as an SNW can also facilitate communication of this type as well.
Notwithstanding the advantages that can be afforded by allowing for communications to occur between or among users by way of CPWs such as SNWs, with such communications there arise various opportunities and concerns. For example, users who communicate with SNWs often have accounts with those SNWs and, as part of establishing or managing their accounts, the users can specify user preferences (e.g., determine user settings) about what types of information should or should not be communicated, or should or should not be made available to other users or third parties. Yet any given message sent by a given user can in some circumstances include information concerning a second user that, if that given message was forwarded to a different third party user by way of the SNW, the transmission of the message might violate a user preference of the second user.
Therefore, it would therefore be advantageous if improved methods and/or systems for communication were developed, particularly in relation to any of a variety of communications occurring between or among electronic devices such as mobile devices that proceed via CPWs (e.g., SNWs) or any of a variety of other intermediary web servers.